SEATTLE _ There comes a time when you can't simply pitch around the mistakes made in the field or slug your way out of the deficit created by them.
Rolling out a defense each night that has proven to be uncertain to make the most routine plays is a capricious way to play baseball. But this is the path the Seattle Mariners have chosen to go with for at least the start of the 2019 season and they, and specifically starter Mike Leake, suffered through those consequences in a 15-1 drubbing by the Texas Rangers that turned absurd in the later innings Saturday night.
"That was a rough ball game," manager Scott Servais said. "We did that to them the other night and they turned around flipped it on us tonight."
The errors were committed early. The folly came in the ninth inning with Seattle trailing 10-1. Servais was forced to bring utility infielder Dylan Moore in from second base to pitch the top of the ninth and inserted catcher Omar Narvaez at second base. Servais didn't want to use another reliever from an over-worked bullpen and didn't want Dee Gordon's day off interrupted for what was going to be a loss. Moore gave up five runs on four hits with two walks while showing a fastball that topped out at 67 mph.
"I don't like putting position guys in there but it happens," Servais said. "I don't think Dylan Moore has pitched since little league and we threw him out there tonight."
Actually, Moore pitched once in between little league and Saturday night.
"Low A ball in 2016 in Hickory, North Carolina," Moore said. "Same results. Lot of hits, lot of runs."
But the errors were the reason Moore was pitching.
The Mariners committed three errors in the first three innings, two of which were almost immediately followed by home runs, and added to their Major League Baseball lead in errors committed, which stands at 33. It's a dubious honor to be sure.
"You've got to play good defense and certainly we made some costly errors that didn't help out Mike Leake at all tonight," Servais said.
They've worked to address the defensive limitations, taking daily extra pregrame work before their regular pregame work. And there have been improvements. Still, given the personnel and how it has to be employed _ this will always be a possibility. That's difficult for a pitching staff that pitches to contact and doesn't strike out a ton of hitters. The routine doesn't feel like it.
Leake had to wear all three errors on a night when he needed his defense to help him, not hinder him.
The issues started in the first inning. After a regrettable walk to Shin Soo-Choo to start the game. Leake got Rougned Odor to hit a ground ball that could have been a double play. But shortstop Tim Beckham ranged to his left and misplayed it. The ball bounced off his glove and behind him. No outs were made on the play.
The next batter, Elvis Andrus, hammered a 1-0 sinker into the mosh pit of fans known as The 'Pen for a three-run homer. Texas had a quick 3-0 lead.
The Mariners took a chunk out of it in the bottom of the inning when Domingo Santana crushed a solo homer into the upper deck of left field for his sixth of the season. It also gave him 30 RBI, the most in the American League.
But another mistake in the second inning following Logan Forsythe's one-out double essentially put the game out of reach early. Light-hitting catcher Jeff Mathis lofted a fly ball to center field for what should've been the second out of the inning. Mallex Smith, who has admittedly been in a funk at the plate and is now having issues in the field, dropped a routine fly ball in center field.
Leake came back to get to Choo to pop up for the second out of the inning. But that extra batter in the frame got him. Odor ambushed a first-pitch cutter that stayed over the middle of the plate, lashing a ball over the wall in right field for a three-run homer. Instead of being out of the inning, Leake and the Mariners trailed 6-1.
"The runs they scored after the errors hurt and dictated which way the ball game was going to go," Servais said. "Defense, we've had good stretches where we played better and we've had some games like played tonight. It's hard to overcome that."
The lead went to 8-1 in the third on an RBI double from Santana and a run-scoring single from Forsythe. Beckham committed his second error by trying to make an ill-advised throw to first base after making a difficult stop. His wayward throw to first resulted in extra bases but no runs scored. Leake worked around the trouble to allow no further damage.
"Mike did make a few mistakes," Servais said. "It's a team loss."
He allowed another run in the fifth as the Mariners tried to maximize his innings output in a game that was lost. Leake worked five innings, allowing nine runs (five earned) with a walk and four strikeouts to fall to 2-3. He wouldn't complain about the defense or lack thereof behind him.
"It's part of the game, errors happen," Leake said.
Meanwhile, the Mariners' offense was shutdown by Rangers' "ace" Mike Minor. The veteran lefty made the one mistake to Santana in the first inning. Other than that, he carved up Seattle hitters over the next six innings. He finished with seven innings pitched, allowing the one run three hits with a walk, a hit batter and a career-high 13 strikeouts, which also tied a Rangers' record for a lefty starter.
"Minor was really good," Servais said. "We knew coming into the ball game he'd been throwing the ball well and he certainly had it going on tonight. Good slider, good changeup. It was definitely not our night."
